Court Order Will Close California’s Largest Oil Wastewater Pit

The largest operator of unlined oil and gas wastewater pits in California will stop discharging toxic chemicals in Kern Valley, under a state clean water settlement approved Tuesday.

Sentinel Peak Resources will be prohibited beginning in September from sending discharges of oil wastewater to Valley Water Management for disposal if they contain 15 chemicals, including arsenic, benzene, radionuclides, and naphthalene. The agreement effectively shuts down operations, said the groups Association of Irritated Residents and Clean Water Fund.

• The Kern County facilities, which use 80 percolation ponds, has been permitted for decades, and in 2004 nearby monitoring wells detected contamination. A ...